Crete girls, Platteview boys come away with big wins Thursday

SPRINGFIELD, NE – In its final true road game of the season, the Crete girls’ basketball team (17-4) extended its winning streak to 10 games after knocking off Platteview, 57-43 on Thursday night.

Crete led 17-2 at the end of the first quarter, and the outcome was never in doubt from then on. Junior guard/forward Morgan Maly had a pretty routine evening, leading her team with 20 points in just three quarters of action. She also finished with a game-best nine rebounds unofficially.

Sophomore Hannah Newton scored nine points for the Cardinals. Junior Ellie Allen had six points and five blocked shots. Allen’s block total this season is now 83 – the most of any player in Class B.

Platteview (13-9) trailed by as many as 26 points in the second half, but once Crete benched their starters, the Trojans were able to chip away at the lead.

Platteview was impressive from long range, knocking down eight three-pointers. Junior Halle Johnson tied her season-high with four three-pointers made. She ended up with a team-high 16 points. Junior Anna Koehler had six points and four steals.

Thursday was Senior Night at Platteview High, as Elizabeth Iverson, Kourtney Caniglia, Doane softball commit Anna Ganzel, Amber Bartley and Grace O’Loughlin were all honored before the game. All six seniors played and scored at least two points in Thursday’s game.

Platteview gets hot and stays hot from three to down Cardinals

The Trojans (14-9) drained five three-pointers in the first half, and stayed hot from the floor all night in a 61-40 win over Crete (7-14) on Thursday night.

Platteview finished with nine made threes as a team, while Crete only had two

Senior Evan Kingston, who picked up a basketball offer from Hastings College this past week, scored a game-high 25 points to lead three Trojans in double figures. Kingston sunk three triples, and was the only member of his team to shoot free throws Thursday. Kingston went 6-for-8 at the charity stripe.

Senior Josh Fryar also made three 3-pointers and totaled 13 points. It seemed fitting that Platteview’s only two seniors lead the Trojans in scoring on Senior Night.

Sophomore Tyler Riley chipped in 10 points.

Crete made nice plays at times, but ultimately couldn’t make enough shots to keep up. One player who did make a lot of shots was junior Owen Kuntz. The 6-foot-2 guard/forward scored a career-high 16 points, including a three-pointer early in the first quarter.

Junior Josiah Gardiner and freshman Jaxon Weyand, who average around 10 points a night, each settled for six on Thursday.

What’s Next

Crete gets their turn at Senior Night on Friday when they host Class B rival Aurora. The girls tip off at 6 p.m., while the boys tip at 7:30.

The Crete boys have a tough task in front of them. Aurora (19-1) is No. 1 in Class B according to several media outlets.